Regaining Lost Ground

Shane Idleman: To humble themselves. Pastor, you don't know, I've been dealing with this for 20 years. God knows. Grab onto the hem of his garment and don't let go. Sometimes he doesn't immediately give you joy and a fullness. Sometimes there's a seeking, a pressing, a pursuing. How bad do you want it?

Are you still going to follow me when you get the report you didn't want to hear? Are you still going to follow me when that relationship doesn't work out? Are you still going to follow me when those finances don't come? Are you still going to follow me regardless? Because you've got to get like Job and say, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust him." Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God.

Guest (Male): Thank you for joining us here at Westside Christian Fellowship, located in Leona Valley, California, one hour north of Los Angeles. Today on Regaining Lost Ground, we hear the third and final part of this hard-hitting message titled When A Vessel Is Struck. 2 Corinthians 4:7 tells us, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us."

Do you ever wonder why you struggle in your Christian walk? Are you living every day feeling helpless, like life is against you? Get those answers and more in this uplifting message from Pastor Shane as he shares a message of truth and hope, a sermon meant for you right now, here on Regaining Lost Ground. You can hear the whole message at Pastor Shane's YouTube and Rumble channels. Make sure to subscribe today.

For more information, visit us online at WestsideChristianFellowship.org. We also encourage you to hear more truth from Pastor Shane with The Idleman Unplugged weekly podcast. And now, from Westside Christian Fellowship in Leona Valley, California, here's Pastor Shane Idleman.

Shane Idleman: For God so loved the world that he gave his only son to be hung on a cross, that whoever repents and believes, he shall be saved. Don't tell them that part. What it is, is cowardliness inside the heart. They've quenched and grieved the spirit to such a degree that there's no longer the fire of God. Maybe there wasn't ever there to begin with. Do you know how many people get into the ministry who aren't even saved? Are you aware of that?

I could go down a rabbit trail here, but I'll probably not. Real preaching will cause people to either hate their sin or hate the preacher. Ask my wife, ask my kids. This is probably the number one reason I am hated by a lot of people. That's it, right there. Can I be a jerk sometimes? Of course. Prideful? Of course. Hello, anybody else? But the main reason is I call it out and it has consequences. They hate it, or they love it.

I love when Morgan's mom used to introduce me or say something. She goes, "Well, you're either going to love it or you're going to hate it," when it comes to inviting people to church. Because they will. They're like, "I don't want to hear this." Darkness doesn't want to hear the light. And when God said, "I called this person from AV Hospital in 1969," I don't remember the room number, I was a little small, "I'm going to call him to do this."

My word is going to be like a burning fire in his heart. This is what he's called me to do. Other people won't preach like this. They're teachers. They've got a different calling, a different knack to things. Like when Sean's coming next Sunday, we've joked about this. Completely different. It's hard for him, sermon prep and preaching, but he likes the other things that go with it. For me, it's the opposite because that's what God has designed certain people for.

Your calling will come out of you. You'll gravitate toward what you enjoy. What sparks you? What kind of worship do you listen to? That's what kind of worshiper you are. Or that's how the song registers to your heart, correct? Many times, even my family, I do this too. People tell me, they'll send me a worship song, "Oh my gosh, Pastor, this is the best song I've ever heard," and I'm like, "Not bad, but I don't think I'll be having this one on rewind."

I'll hear one that brings me to my knees and they're like, "It's not doing it for me." Why is that? Because God's working differently in our hearts. Real preaching will cause people to either hate their sin or hate the preacher. Listen, you can go back to church history. Read the early church fathers. Keep reading about what God did with bold preaching. And then 1 Corinthians: "Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the spirit but as people who are still worldly."

You're still worldly, for since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Paul called them out. This is Corinthians, in the church. Paul is calling them out. They're going to get upset at him or they're going to repent. That's the options. We'll close out here. Ready? Acts 13:44: "Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad." They're glad he's chewing out the Jews. They were glad and they glorified the word of Lord, basically saying, "There's hope for us?" Unbelievable.

As many as had been appointed to eternal life, they believed. Did you see that in highlight there? As many as had been appointed to eternal life, they believed. The word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region, but the Jews stirred up the people. Do you know there's people in churches that stir it up? They can't just stay at home and deal with their own issues. They've got to stir it up.

"Did you hear?" Why is that? Gossip, slander, going to make you feel better, stir that pot. They did the same thing here. They stirred it up and they raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and they expelled them from the region. They kicked Paul and Barnabas out of the city. They shook off the dust of their feet against them and came to Iconium. Basically, that was a sign of just, "We're done. Not even the dust of your town is going to go with us."

This is amazing. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. They just got kicked out of town, but they're filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. If you are not filled with joy this morning, I want to challenge you, you are not filled with the spirit. It doesn't mean you're not going to go through tough times, but joy will eventually arise the fuller you become of the spirit.

If you're full of envy and jealousy and bitterness and you've got a chip on your shoulder and an attitude, you're quenching and grieving the spirit. How can you say those things? Because I've been there. Hello. I know the damage it causes. You've got to repent of it, clean house, clean the heart. I want to talk about this and I'll close with it: as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

Reading this on the surface, this one verse, in my opinion, would support something called Calvinism. There's different views on this, and I want to, because it fits right here and people have questions. There are two primary views on salvation, and I believe there needs to be a healthy tension. You ever have that healthy tension? You need that to pull down things and tie down things. There's a healthy tension there between God's sovereignty and man's responsibility.

I remember I really struggled through this issue when I came back to the Lord. I'm reading books on St. Augustine, 4th century, with his debate with Pelagian, Pelagianism. I obviously gravitate toward Augustine. Then you read Martin Luther and his debates with Erasmus, one of the editors of the Bible. A lot of times, other ones like Norman Geisler versus R.C. Sproul. I can just keep going for a while if you guys want. Wesley and Whitfield.

It was this tension of God's sovereignty, which if you break it down, it's called TULIP: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. To sum it up, God calls certain people. He elects certain people. You're called, you're called. Sorry, Mel. But you're called. Steve, no. You want to be called? Okay. So God calls certain people. The others he doesn't, and that's called election.

We do see in the Bible that God calls. John the Baptist didn't have a choice when you're filled with the Holy Spirit in your mother's womb. People still tell me, "Well, he had a choice." I don't think he did. Jeremiah, before you're even born, "Jeremiah, I formed you in your mom's womb. Why? You're going to be a prophet to my nation," around 700-something BC to call my people back to me. God did that. He's sovereign. Absolutely sovereign.

The other side is a lot of other scriptures that show you did not repent. It's not that you could not, you did not repent. You were not willing. God is not willing that any should perish. Repent and believe, you will be saved. You see all these verses that show there's a responsibility that man has on his side. Charles Spurgeon said man's responsibility and God's sovereignty are like two parallel lines. We don't know where they cross until eternity.

I got to a safe spot of saying I don't follow an "ism": Arminianism, Calvinism, all these other isms. Lord, you're sovereign. Thank God for that. Thank God you're sovereign. But Lord, you call me to preach repentance. Repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped away. And Peter said to them, "Repent, be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins."

There's always a call to the person to repent. Then the other side gets tricky because the Calvinism side, there's an order of salvation that's different from this side. The order of salvation is you actually first get the Holy Spirit, first. And then because you have the spirit, now you can repent and exercise faith. Where this order of salvation is, you repent and believe, then you get the spirit. You can't repent and believe without the work of the spirit.

Personally, I believe the Holy Spirit's convicting, drawing, and a person can repent. Again, just personally reading scripture, that's my personal conviction, is that God gave man the ability to accept or reject him. To me, that's the only way scriptures make complete sense with an all-knowing, loving God who calls everybody to repentance. He's not willing that any should perish. He's not going to create billions of people and only choose certain people. It's left up to them.

I have friends that are different. But that's how I feel. Also I understand that God is sovereign and he can put people on his team whenever he wants. Thank God for that. Here's the main argument, just so you know. People say, "Well, Shane, if what you're basically saying then is man is good, and because man is good, he can accept God." I'm actually not saying that, in the same way I'm not saying Adam was evil when God created him.

Adam was perfect. How did he choose evil? Because he was given the choice to accept or reject. To me, scriptures make complete sense. God gets all the glory, all the credit. Man is not good because he's able to accept or reject God. We need the conviction of the spirit. We need that. I have in the back of my Bible about 100 scriptures written down on this topic. You just have to realize that it's healthy to believe that man somehow, some way, will be held responsible for his actions.

What do they choose to do with God? That's really what it boils down to. On this topic, I should say this too, I think it's good to know what the lead pastor believes versus being vague. So that's my belief, as I believe people can make a choice and they're judged based on their choice. However, I also believe once they make that choice, they can't lose that salvation.

It's almost like this. I'm in sin. I'm a sinner. I repent, I believe. What happens? You're born again, the new birth takes place. It's a new birth. Now I'm a child of God. The door's shut. I can't go back in there. I can hang out and say, "I remember the old days. Lord, but I'm miserable." It can still draw you back, but I can't undo what God has done.

It's not just theory. Here's why. The Bible says you have been given the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of your inheritance. So the question is, is it a partial guarantee? Heck no. I couldn't live like this. The Holy Spirit's a guarantee. What about if I get dementia or Alzheimer's or lose my mind? So I'm holding on to God or is he holding on to me? Big difference.

Now I know I'm going to get people: "Once saved, always saved. You're giving permission to sin." No, I tell people if they're living in sin and they like it, they're not even saved to begin with. Let's start there. That's the real problem. The Holy Spirit seals you until the day of redemption. So let me try to understand. You're sealed by the Holy Spirit. He's given to you as a guarantee of your inheritance and you can somehow lose that?

What keeps that together? Me doing what? Believing, exercising faith? No, I already did that and now I'm sealed. Now I'm born again. You can't undo this incredible supernatural act of God where you come out and he closes the door. You are now a child of God with the Holy Spirit. How can you just undo that? You can't, in my opinion. If you believe differently, that's fine. Go start a church and tell people you can lose it. "You better walk the straight and narrow."

I know what they're saying though, because you see so many people. What about Chuck Templeton with Billy Graham? Well, two things. At the end of his life, you can watch the interview. He started to tear up when the interviewer asked him, "Do you miss Jesus?" He said, "I do." So I don't know where he, maybe. Many people don't have a relationship. They walked away from us, but had they been of us, they would have not departed from us.

There's lots of verses. How can you undo being a child of God? What keeps you a child of God? Faith? No, you already exercised faith to believe. Now you're sealed. You've got the guarantee. I just can't imagine telling people, "I know it says you have a guarantee of the Holy Spirit and you've been sealed by the Holy Spirit, but it's a partial guarantee." Based on what? Hebrews 6? Those who have tasted, those who have been enlightened, those who partook, if they fall away, there's no renewing them to repentance?

Why are those words used that are not used of salvation? Judas Iscariot partook. He was enlightened. He experienced, he tasted, but he never fully repented and believed. If anybody turns a sinner back from the error of his way, he saves a soul from death. How do you know it's not death due to sin, and a believer is on their way to death because of their sin? You turn that person back. There's clarity on this issue if our eyes are open to it.

I would just challenge you, just look at the scripture. It doesn't say it's a partial guarantee. It doesn't say you're temporarily sealed. Here's the thing with your being sealed with the Holy Spirit: you're holding that seal together. Can you imagine if the Bible said you're sealed with the Holy Spirit but you've got to keep that seal together? Get that duct tape out. Get that welder out. I'll leave with the verses.

Do you need to repent and turn back to God? Repent and be baptized every one of you. You want to be baptized? I will change. Maybe you're coming to the Lord for the first time. Maybe it's been a while. Maybe I've got people asking me, "Man, I don't know if it was real to me." If God's convicting you and you need to publicly declare your faith, then let us know. I'll be in the prayer room.

Watch the timer. I don't want to discount this part: and the disciples were filled with joy and filled with the Holy Spirit. The majority of believers, especially in the American church, are not filled with the spirit. Guys, what's it going to take you to get down off your high horse? Submit and surrender everything to God. I can't give up this addiction. I can't give up my job. I can't give up these finances. I can't give up this relationship. I love my habits. I love my sin.

You've got to fully surrender. You've got to fully surrender your life. That's how you're full of the spirit. Many are quenching and grieving the spirit to such a degree they have no spiritual power. Can we be honest? When was the last time you led someone to the Lord, or at least were bold enough to tell them about God? When was the last time? I've been there. We come to church like, "I've got to at least get in once a month."

There's no hunger for worship. There's a hunger for secular music. As soon as this is over, you're going to get back on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube and be watching things that are ungodly. I'm just being honest. That's the world we live in. And God's call is to the church to be filled with the spirit of God, to humble themselves. Pastor, you don't know, I've been dealing with this for 20 years. God knows. Grab onto the hem of his garment and don't let go.

Sometimes he doesn't immediately give you joy and a fullness. Sometimes there's a seeking, a pressing, a pursuing. How bad do you want it? Are you still going to follow me when you get the report you didn't want to hear? Are you still going to follow me when that relationship doesn't work out? Are you still going to follow me when those finances don't come? Are you still going to follow me regardless?

Because you've got to get like Job and say, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust him." Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. The only reason I'm so bold about this issue is I've seen the difference. I was a Christian in my 20s. You wouldn't really know it unless you asked me or filled out a survey. I've seen the difference many times. Pray for my anger. Pray for my alcohol addiction. Pray for my porn addiction.

They're just miserable. Then they fully repent, and then who is this person? You actually look different because a Christian carrying around that weight and that sin, it does something to you. Your face looks different, your countenance. There's no joy, there's no peace. You're bound. You're eating with the pigs, prodigal son. And when you're set free, it's beautiful. Pastor, I've been listening to worship all week. The Bible came alive.

I've seen the difference, church. I've seen those who are blind but now they see. I've seen the lost but now they're found. I've seen it for so many of you. Stop fighting God and fully surrender to the work of the spirit in your heart. You might not like what I'm saying, but I guarantee the hound of heaven, the spirit, will stay on you all week.

Guest (Male): You've been listening to Regaining Lost Ground with Pastor Shane Idleman. You can find more information at WestsideChristianFellowship.org. That's WestsideChristianFellowship.org. And for all the latest on what God is doing with his ministry here, please be sure to follow us on most social media platforms. Westside Christian Fellowship is located 60 miles north of Los Angeles in Leona Valley, California. Thank you again for listening to today's message of Regaining Lost Ground, where we are reminded daily: times change, truth does not.